Clarity in the Classroom

It was a problem worth solving for maths teacher, Phil Kanowski when he noticed his students were becoming increasingly harder to hear.

“I knew my hearing had deteriorated over the last few years, but I always put off getting it tested. It was one of those things that I’d learnt to ignore,” said Phil, age 55.

“However, good hearing is very important to my job as a teacher and it grew more and more embarrassing having to ask students to repeat answers again and again.

“My hearing loss also meant that it was easier to avoid taking part in conversations when I was out riding my bike with friends or at coffee, because I was finding it harder to follow what was being said. Even watching TV was frustrating, and I was often watching with subtitles on.”

After seeing an article in the Bicycle Queensland e-Newsletter promoting the services offered by Hear and Say, Phil said he called for an appointment while it was still fresh in his mind – and before he could come up with another excuse!

Now fitted with hearing aids, Phil said his initial worries around the stigma of wearing hearing technology were soon gone after noticing such positive changes to his everyday activities.

“It took a little while to get used to my hearing aids, but I knew that it would take time to adjust. I’m hearing my students much more clearly in the classroom, and I no longer need subtitles when watching TV,” said Phil.

“I guess I was worried about what others might think, but I knew that wasn’t a real excuse not to get my hearing tested. I now find my hearing aids small, simple, light and discrete – they are very easy to manage. Hear and Say was very professional and supportive; options were explained and my audiologist, Georgia Cambridge made the experience very easy – painless!

“It was also important to me that Hear and Say was independent of any hearing aid company and that they would have my best interest at heart, not just out to make money.”

Phil said he would encourage others considering a hearing test to “bite the bullet and make that phone call”.

“The advantages of reconnecting with friends are real, and if you ignore your hearing problems they don’t go away, they only get worse. The sooner you get your hearing tested, the better the outcome.”